Flying machine



Y April 27 1926.

A. MRAULA FLYING momma Filed June 2, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet l a M 6 2 w 8 7 0 J WW 5 5 M3 4 a w 7 6 M 7 w 1/ l 1 w M. M

Kim 27 1926.

A. MRAULA FLYING MACHI NE Filed June 2, 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 27 1926. 1,582,482

' A. MRAULA FLYING MACHINE Filed June 2. 1925 6Sheets-Sheet 5 gm, macaw 3 1 April 27 1926.

- A. MRAULA FLYING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1925. 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 27 1926. 1,582,482

A, MRAULA FLYING MACHINE Filed June 2. 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 PatentedA pr. 27, 1926.

UNITED. STAT ES 1,582,482 PATENT OFFICE.

sANDREW Manon-A, or CArMAS, wnsnmero vf ma portable machine of the above character having manuallfactuated mechanism where by a person through .the use of his own strength-may fly through the air;

A further ob ect of /the invention is to provide mechanism foioperating the prostruction, efiicient in peller at a high rate of speed, and so designed that through its operation it will balance the machine while in flight.

A further objectof the invention is toprovide a portable machine which when not in use may be compactly folded and easily" carried on the back of a person.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above-mentioned character which is simple and durable in conoperation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during thecourse of the following description. i

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1, is a front elevation of my machine, Fig. 2, is a rear elevation of the same,

Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the machine i Hand grips 2 5 are connected with'the ends ready to ascend,

Fig. 4, is a side elevation of the machine,

showing the position of the propeller when moving'forwardly,

Fig. 5, is a side view of the machine golllgpsed, showing how it is carried on the Fig. 6, is a fragmentary front view of the gearing mechanism, partly in section, v

Fig. 7, is a detail side view of the ratchet gear, Fig. of a part of the diiferential shaft,

:Fig. 9, is a top plan view, of the propeller gearing, and,.-

'8, is a longitudinal sectional view,

- FLYING MACHINE.

A imaeionaied' an.. 2, 1925. Serial- No. 34,324.

,Fig. 10, is a cross sectional view on lines 1'010 of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, wherein for the purposeof illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 denotes in general thefr'ame of the machine which is composed of sections 6, 7 and 8.

"The intermediate section 7 is hingedly connected, as at "9, to the upper end of the lower section 6 and when in an extended position extends from the lower section at an obtuse angle thereto, Ashock absorber is connected to the lower end of the section 6 consisting of a rubber head 10 having a stem 11 slidably mounted in the end of the section and a coil spring 12 interposed between the end of the section and the head whereby the impact of the head with the, ground when the machine is landing will be absorbed .by the spring. A pair of pedals 13 are slidably' mounted in longitudinal grooves '14 on opposite sides of the section 6 being adapted to be reciprocated by the feet of the operator. The pedals are substantially L-shaped having their outer ends .turned up, as at 15, to prevent the feet from slipping off the pedals. Lugs16 are, cast integral with the side of the pedals. having ropes; 17 connected therewith which-e51 tend upwardly and are trained over the pulleys 1 8 jo'urnaled on the outer ends or the pintle pin 19 which hinges the sections 6 and 7 together. The upper ends of\ the ropes are connected to the cranks 20 of the sprocket wheel 21 by means of'collars 22. The sprocket wheel is mounted inthe bifurcated end 23 of "the -section'7, being journaled in thebushings 24, and is manually actuated by the arms of the operator through the medium of the cranks 20.

The upper. sectlon 8 consists of two forks 27 and 28 bolted together, as at 29, the upper fork 27 being relatively wider than the lower fork 28. The lower fork is *pivotally connected with the bushings 24 and normally extends upwardly and backwardly,

at an obtuse angle to the intermediate section 7. Parallel side pieces 30 are connected to the ends of the fork .27, b bolts 30 and extend longitudinally there om, having a lilo differential shaft 31 rotatably mounted in their free ends. The arms 32 and 33 of the fork 27, near their lower ends are provided with inwardly directed opposed bosses 34 in which the shaft 35 is journaled. A pinion gear 36 is keyed on the center of the shaft 35 and movement-is imparted to the pinion gear by the sprocket chain 37 trained over the'sprocket Wheel and pinion gear. Spur gears 38 are keyed on the shaft 35 on opposite sides of the pinion gear and mesh with the spur gears 39keyed on the shaft 40 journaled in the arms 32 and 33 of the fork in superposed relation to the shaft 35. Oppo site ends of the shafts 35 and 40' extend beyond the sides of the arms 32 and '33 and have gears 41 and 42 keyed on their respective ends. Thus, it is seen that by reason of the gearingbetween the shafts 35 and 40 the gears 41 and 42 are revolvedin opposite directions. The gears. 41 and 42 are connected with the gears 43 and 44 rotatably mounted on the shaft 31 adjacent the side 7 pieces 30 in which the shaft 31 is mounted,

,, thegears 43 and44, adapted to normally '49 and 50, respectively.

by the endless chains'45 trained over the gears. A series ofspring pressed pawls 46 are pivotally'mounted on the inner sides of engage the teeth of the ratchet gears 47 and 48 keyed to the sleeves 49 and 50 revolvably mounted on the shaft31, asmore clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The sleeves 49 and 5.0 terminate'short of the center of the shaft 31 and intermediate their ends, the shaft 31 is proyided with a bushing 51 in which the lower end of the shaft 52 is journaled. The shaft is normally disposed in a vertical position and has a beveled gear 53 fixedly mounted on its lower 'end which meshes with the beveled gears 54 and 55 connected with the ends of the sleeves 'A tubular shaft 56 is revolvably mounted on the shaft 52 7 having a bevel 57 mounted on its lower end which also meshes with the gears 54 and 55. The gears 53, 54, 55 and 57 serve as a differential whereby the shaft 52 and tubular shaft 56 are revolved in opposite directions. The tubular shaft 56 terminates short of the upper end of the shaft 52 and has a spider 58 connected therewith having its arms 59 inclined downwardly and supporting at their outer ends the annular gear 60 having teeth 61 around its inner peripheral edge. The spider is held on the shaft 56 by the nut 62 and a washer 63 placed on the end of the shaft 52 rests on the nut. A second spider 64 is connected on'the end of the shaft 52 by the collar 65 and is held thereon by the nut 66. Ball bearings 67 are interposed between the collar 65 and washer 63 whereby the spider is free to revolve with the shaft upon rotation thereof. The arms 68 of the spider 64 are also inclined downwardly, at a slight ly greater angle than the, inclination of the to two of the extensions near their inner ends by the pivot pins 72 and are disposed on a horizontalplane. The gears 71 mesh with the teeth of the annular gear 60 and a small pinion gear 72" connected to the end of the propeller shaft 73 revolvably mounted on the tubular shaft 56. A nut 74 is mounted on the end of the propeller shaft and sup 'ports a washer '74 carrying ball bearings 75 on which the spider 58 is mounted, so it is freely movable with "the shaft on which it is mountedv f The propeller consists of two blades 76 and 77, theblade 76 having a bearing 7 8 rigidly mounted on the shaft 73, while the bearing 79 of the blade 77 has a longitudinal rib 80 movable in the spiral groove 81 formed in the shaft 73. The bearing 79 of the blade 77 is mounted on the shaft beneath the bearing'of the blade 76 and when the shaft is revolved, will be moved upwardly, by centrifugal force, into engagement with the bearing of the blade 76, whereupon the blades will be interconnected together by the oppositely disposed lugs 82, cast integral with the bearings, so that the blades revolve together.

The frame is normally held in an extended position by the toggle links 83, 84 and 85. The lower link 83 is pivotally connected to the lower section of the frame near the top, as at 86, having two branch arms 87 curved upwardly and pivotally connected, as at 88, to the lower 'ends of the parallel side members 89 of the intermediate link 81-. The side members 89 are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the intermediate section of the frame, approximatel midway its length, by the pintle pin 90. T 1e upper ends of the side members merge together and are pivotally connected to the lower end of the upper link 85, as at 91. The pivotal movement of the links is limited by the stop member 92 formed integral with the intermediate link and adapted to contact with the upper link when the links are extended. A catch 93 pivoted to the upper link is movable into en gagement with said stop member, whereby the links are locked in place. The upper link has diverging arms 94 which are connected to opposite sides of the upper section of the frame,-by the bolts 30 which con- In order that the machine will move forwardly; after ascending it. is necessary to tilt the propeller forwardly, as more clearly set forth in Fig. 4. As showninFig. 3,

a lever 95. is connected to each end of the shaft 31, which are curved forwardly. A U-shaped arm96 --extends at right angles from the lever, being fixedly connected therewith. The free ends of .the -arms 96 are connected with the arm 97 by ropes 98 which extend downwardly through the upper section of the frame. The arm97 is pivotally mounted in the slot 99 formed in the intermediate-section of the frame by the pintle pin 90. 'The lower end of the arm 97 has a segmentlOO which meshes with the segment 101 formed on one end of the bell crank lever 102 which is pivotally mounted on the pintle pin 19. The opposite end 103 of the bell crank lever extends through the slot 99 and has a conventional type of saddle 104 connected therewith. Thus, it is seen that when the saddle is moved down by the weight of the operator the bell crank lever will be rocked on its pivot which in turn swings the arm 97 downwardly, pulling the ropeswhich cause the levers 95 to rotate the shaft 31, whereby thepropeller and its entire mechanism is moved forward. The levers 95 are provided with a depending extension 105, which is under the tension of the" coil "springs 106 connected to the sides of the frame, sothat upon release of the weight on the saddle the propeller will be automatically moved to avertical position by the tension of the coil springs.

From the foregoing it'is seen that the frame of the machine is collapsible and may be folded compactly so as to be easily car ried on the back of a man. To collapse the frame, thecatch holding the toggle links is released and by pulling the upper links towards the operator the sections of the frame will be folded upon each other, -and the whole is supported on the back by placing one of the cranks over the shoulder, the blades of the propeller being held vertically by the hand, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

In operation the frame is extended by the toggle links which hold and support the sections of the frame in position, as shown in Fig. 3. The machine is then placed on the ground in an upright positioin, and the cranks of the sprocket wheel are gripped by the hands, while the left foot is placed on one of the foot pedals, the other foot being left on the ground to balance the machine. The sprocket wheel is then revolved through operation of the cranks, which in turn through the gearing mechanism causes the propellers to revolve rapidly. As the ma chine starts to ascend the left foot is then placed on the opposite pedal, and throughreciprocation of the pedals by the feet, more power is furnished to the sprocket wheel,

since the pedals are connected with the,

cranks. While the machine is rising the operator stands ins an upright position, until the desired altitude is reached, whereupon P Y the operator places his weight on the seat rocklng the bell crank lever which causes the propeller to be tilted down, so themachine will. travel -forwardly. If it 'is desired to turh the machine the operator pushes the machine with his hands in the direction he wishes to turn, at the same time swinging his body in the opposite direction. To descend, the propeller is moved to its original position, and the speed gradually reduced until the machine reaches the'ground. As 30 the speed of the propeller ceases the blades are disconnected, by the lower blade sliding down the shaft, so the blades may be disposed in parallel relation.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown'and described is to be takenas a preferred example of the same and that certain changes inthe shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be made without -departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim a 1. A flying machine comprising an upright frame, a'propeller mounted at theupper end of said frame, gearing for driving sa d propeller, a sprocket wheel for driving said gear1ng, and pedals slidably mounted on said-frame for operating said sprocket Wheel. p 2. A flying machine. comprising an upright frame, a propeller mounted at the upper end ofsaid frame, gearing for driving said propeller, a sprocketwheel for driving sald gearing, cranks for revolving said 10 sprocket wheel, and pedalsslidably mounted on said frame having connectioniwith said cranks.

3. A flying machine comprising angupright frame, arotatable shaft mounted at 110 the upper end of said frame, a vertical shaft journaled at one end in said first mentioned shaft, a tubular propeller shaft rotatably mounted on said vertical shaft, a' drive wheel, artrain of gearing connecting said journaled at one end in said first mentioned Y shaft, a tubular propeller shaft rotatably 125 mounted on said vertical shaft, 3. drive wheel, a train of gearingconnecting said drive'wheel with said propeller shaft, actuating levers connected with said first men tioned shaft, and a seatpivotally mounted will actuate said levers to tilt the propeller shaft.

5. A flying machine comprising a frame, a

vertical propeller shaft mounted at the up per end of said frame having a spiral groove, a pair of propeller blades mounted on said shaft, one of said blades being rigidly affixed thereto and the other having sliding connection with said spiral groove, means for revolving said propeller shaft, and means for interconnecting said propeller blades together. I

6. A flying machine comprising a frame, a vertically driven shaft, a tubular propeller shaft mounted on said driven shaft, a drive shaft, and balancing mechanism consisting of a pinion gear mounted on said tubular shaft, a spider mounted on the end of said tubular shaft, a large gear wheel having inside teeth supported by said spider, a second spider mounted on the upper end of said driven shaft having inwardly extending extensions and idle gears supported by said spider connecting said large gear with said pinion gear.

In testiinony whereof I affix my signature.

' ANDREW MRAULA. 

